In order to approximate the appearance of continuous tone (photographic) images via ink-on-paper printing, the commercial printing industry relies on the process known as halftone printing. In halftone printing, color density gradations are produced by printing patterns of dots or areas of varying sizes, but of the same color density, instead of varying the color density continuously as is done in photographic printing.
There is an important commercial need to obtain a color proof image before a printing press run is made. It is desired that the color proof will accurately represent at least the details and color tone scale of the prints obtained from the printing press. In many cases, it is also desirable that the color proof accurately represent the image quality and halftone pattern of the prints obtained on the printing press. In the sequence of operations necessary to produce an ink-printed, full color picture, a proof is also required to check the accuracy of the color separation data from which the final three or more printing plates or cylinders are made. Traditionally, such color separations proofs have involved silver halide light-sensitive systems which require many exposure and processing steps before a final, full color picture is assembled.
Colorants that are used in the printing industry are insoluble pigments. By virtue of their pigment character, the spectrophotometric curves of the printing inks are often unusually sharp on either the bathochromic or hypsochromic side. This can cause problems in color proofing systems in which dyes, as opposed to pigments, are being used. It is very difficult to match the hue of a given ink using a single dye.
One way to thermally obtain a print using the electronic signals described above is to use a laser instead of a thermal-printing head. In such a system, the donor sheet includes a material, which strongly absorbs at the wavelength of the laser. When the donor is irradiated, this absorbing material converts light energy to thermal energy and transfers the heat to the dye in the immediate vicinity, thereby heating the dye to its vaporization temperature for transfer to the receiver. The absorbing material may be present in a layer beneath the dye and/or it may be admixed with the dye. The laser beam is modulated by electronic signals which are representative of the shape and color of the original image, so that each dye is heated to cause volatilization only in those areas in which its presence is required on the receiver to reconstruct the color of the original object. Further details of this process are found in GB 2,083,726A, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,760, a process is also described for producing a direct digital, halftone color proof of an original image on a dye-receiving element. The proof can then be used to represent a printed color image obtained from a printing press. The process described therein comprises:                a) generating a set of electrical signals which is representative of the shape and color scale of an original image;        b) contacting a dye-donor element comprising a support having thereon a dye layer and an infrared-absorbing material with a first dye-receiving element comprising a support having thereon a polymeric, dye image-receiving layer;        c) using the signals to image-wise heat by means of a diode laser the dye-donor element, thereby transferring a dye image to the first dye-receiving element; and        d) retransferring the dye image to a second dye image-receiving element which has the same substrate as the printed color image. In the above process, multiple dye-donors are used to obtain a complete range of colors in the proof. For example, for a full color proof, four colors—cyan, magenta, yellow and black are normally used.        
By using the above process, the image dye is transferred by heating the dye-donor containing the infrared-absorbing material with the diode laser to volatilize the dye, the diode laser beam being modulated by the set of signals which is representative of the shape and color of the original image, so that the dye is heated to cause volatilization only in those areas in which its presence is required on the dye-receiving layer to reconstruct the original image.
Similarly, a thermal transfer proof can be generated by using a thermal print head in place of a diode laser as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,846. Commonly available thermal heads are not capable of generating halftone images of adequate resolution, but can produce high quality continuous tone proof images, which are satisfactory in many instances. U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,846 also discloses the choice of mixtures of dyes for use in thermal imaging proofing systems. Inkjet is also used as a low cost proofing method as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,440. Likewise, an inkjet proof can be generated using combinations of either dispersed dyes in an aqueous fluid or dissolved dyes in a solvent based system. U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,330 discloses methods for accomplishing this. Ink jet printers can also produce high quality continuous tone proof images, which by virtue of their cost, are satisfactory in many instances. The dyes are selected on the basis of values for hue error and turbidity. The Graphic Arts Technical Foundation Research Report No. 38, “Color Material” (58-(5) 293-301, 1985) gives an account of this method.
An alternative and more precise method for color measurement and analysis uses the concept of uniform color space known as CIELAB, in which a sample is analyzed mathematically in terms of its spectrophotometric curve, the nature of the illuminant under which it is viewed, and the color vision of a standard observer. For a discussion of CIELAB and color measurement, see Principles of Color Technology, 2nd Edition, F. W. Billmeyer, pp.25-110, Wiley Interscience and Optical Radiation Measurements, Volume 2, F. Grum, pp. 33-145, Academic Press.
In using CIELAB, colors can be expressed in terms of three parameters: L*, a*, and b*, where L* is a lightness function, and a* and b* define a point in color space. Thus, a plot of a* vs b* values for a color sample can be used to accurately show where that sample lies in color space, i.e., what its hue is. This allows different samples to be compared for hue if they have similar density and L* values.
In color proofing in the printing industry, it is important to be able to match the proofing ink references provided by the International Prepress Proofing Association. In the United States, these ink references are density patches made with standard 4-color process inks and are known as SWOP® (Specifications Web Offset Publications) color aims. In 1995, ANSI CGATS TR 001-1995 was published which is becoming the standard in the United States printing industry. For additional information on color measurement of inks for web offset proofing, see “Advances in Printing Science and Technology”, Proceedings of the 19th International Conference of Printing Research Institutes, Eisenstadt, Austria, June 1987, J. T. Ling and R. Warner, p.55.
It is also equally important for dye(s) to have adequate stability to light in order for the color image or proof to be stable when viewed.
A problem has existed with the use of certain dyes in dye-donor elements for thermal dye transfer printing. Some of the dyes proposed for use have proper spectroscopic properties, however, they do not have adequate light stability. It, therefore, would be desirable to provide dyes which not only have proper spectroscopy properties in order to match the standard ink references, but also have good light stability.
In order to better match the yellow proofing ink reference standardized by ANSI CGATS TR 001-1995, it is desired to use a short yellow dye with λ max at about 410 nm along with three other yellow dyes as the yellow donor element. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,081,101, 4,701,439 and 4,833,123 relate to cyanovinyl-dialkylaniline dyes similar to those used in the invention. They, however, either lack adequate stability to light or lack proper spectroscopy property for good color match, and have no teaching on how to make them more light stable while maintaining good color. For example, a class of yellow dyes disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,101 has the desired hue with λmax at about 410 nm. This class of dyes, however, is lacking in desired light stability. Another class of dyes of cyanovinyl-dialkylanilines disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,081,101, 4,701,439 and 4,833,123 do have adequate light stability, but they all have λmax at greater than 420 nm which is too long for yellow color proofing.
It is a problem to be solved to provide a yellow dye for imaging that provides the desired hue less than 420 nm with satisfactory stability.